Ratchet structure for ring compressors



L.' B. Mmm-:I-

vRATCHETv STRUCTURE FOR RING coMPREssoRs Jan. 27, 1953 Filed Dec. 30, 1948 mnm "umihl' um 1'9 INVENTOR. [eozzMiZZeI:

ATTOR/VEX Patented Jan. 27, 1953 RATCHET STRUCTURE FOR RING COMPRESSORS Leon B. Miller, Stamford, Conn.

Application December 30, 1948, Serial No. 68,211 v (Cl. 74575) y 11 Claims.

This invention relates generally to piston ring compressors, such as disclosed in my Patents No. 2,208,136, issued July 16, 1940, and No. 2,305,486, issued December 15, 1942, and especially concerns a detent structure in a, ratchet arrangement for operating the piston ring compressor.

Piston ring compressors of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned patents are founded on the principle of ceiling up a relatively wide, resilient strip of metal for urging rings of a piston f into the grooves. The ceiling up of such strip is effected by means of a pair of spaced compression bands, preferably engaging the edge portions of the strip. When these bands are spirally wound they coil up the strip. When they are released, they permit the strip to expand. The

lwinding up and the release of the bands is controlled by a spindle operatively supporting the compression bands, and which spindle is equipped wthteethed ratchet wheels engaged by suitable ldetent means or ratehets, the latter being so constructed as to facilitate their manual operation to a position at which they disengage the ratchet vWheels when so desired.

f 11n the prior art it has been found that the construction of the detents engaging the ratchetl wheels have lacked in simplicity of operation-.and

I positiveness and security in respect to their-cooperationwith the ratchet wheels, and the pres- -ent invention therefore contemplates an improved detent structure which is not only simple indesign, but also positive and simple in its operation, especially when it is desired to momentarily disengage the detent from the ratchet Wheels for releasing the piston ring compressor.

The detent, in accordance with the present invention, preferably consists of either a one-piece or a two-piece bodily deformable, resilient ratchet pawl structure, adapted to normally engage the ratchet Wheels of the piston ring compressor under tension,.and which structure is equipped .with a simple, depressible lever, which, when operated, will so deform the pawl body that the vlatter will disengage the teeth of the ratchet wheels and remain in that disengaging position until pressure against the lever ceases.

In developing the present ratchet pawl,V three Aimportant features dominated its construction. First, the utter simplicity in `its manufacture, second, the ease and inexpensiveness of associating it with the mounting parts of the piston ring compressor, and, third, the readiness and pracfticability in its operation.

The prime object of the present invention presser shownin Fig. 1'; 1 jl able and `wherein av part of 1 that body formsl lever-like operating means for deforming the pawl body so that its disengagement Vfrom the teeth of such ratchet elements is effected.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in, combination With'a toothed ratchet element, av deformable ratchet pawl which normally engages 'the teeth of a ratchet element under tension and which element is provided with operating means for deforming its body to move the ratchet pawl from its ratchet element-engaging position, and wherein said operating means constitute a depressible lever structure secured to the body of thepawl.

The foregoing and still further objects and important advantages of the present invention Will become more fully apparent from the ensuing description, in conjunction With the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top view of apston ring compressor equipped With'the ratchet structure in laccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the piston ring com- Fig. 3 is a vertical detail .viewof a portion. of theratchet arrangement, partlyin section; i

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a, two-piece ratchet pawl;

.liig. 6 is a perspective view of a nished piece ratchet pawl; and

two-

f Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a one-piece ratchet pawl. j In thedrawings numeral l0 denotes a relatively broad, resilient. strip vfor engaging Apiston rings 4of a piston.Y .The strip is held at one of its ends in a mounting Il, While its other end I2 is free, as clearly seen in Fig. 1. Strip I0 may be rolled up by means of compression bands I3 and I4, which are adapted to be spirally wound about ends I3 and I4 of a spindle I5, the latter having .anpair of toothed ratchet Wheels I6 and I'I. It

.. will be observed from Figs. 2 and 3, that one end of compression bands I3 and I4 is xedly secured 1n mounting II, as indicated at I8 and I9, while their windable yends are attached to ends I3 and I4 ofA spindle I5 at v2li and 2|. In end I3 of the spindle there is provided a socket 22 forr the re-`l ception of a Wrench 23, Vshown in Fig. 2, by means of which the bands are wound about the spindle ends, whereby strip I is contracted.

Mounting II is so constructed as to form two loops 24, forming journals for spindle I5, and from which loop structures extend inner and outer attaching flanges 25 and 26respectively, which are in adjacency with one another and between which are fixedly secured ring-compressing strip I 6 and compression bands I3 and I4.

Also held between these flanges is a deformable, resilient ratchet pawl structure 21, secured at one end by rivets 28, and extending with its body portion from between the flanges into a cut-out or recess 29, provided in these flanges, so that its free end normally engages under tension the teeth of ratchet wheels I6 and I1.

Ratchet pawl 21, as shown in Figs. and 6, is composed of a deformable body 30 and a depressible lever element 3 I. Body 3U is pre-shaped and comprises a broad, fiat attaching area 32, the end of which extends sidewise as at 33 and in which extensions are provided apertures 34 for the reception of rivets 28.

Continuing at an angle from fiat portion 32 is i a connecting area 35, which joins portion 32 with another area 36. From the latter area extends again at angular relation to area 36 the free or teeth-engaging area 31, which is adapted to tensionally cooperate with the teeth of the ratchet wheels. As will be observed from Fig. 4, the free end area 31 is disposed at a tangent in respect to ratchet wheels I6 and I1. In area 36 are provided two apertures 38 for the reception of rivets 39 by means of which lever element 3l is attached may be depressed. By the depression of lever element 3| body 30 of the pawl is deformed so that its teeth-engaging portion 31 disengages the teeth of ratchet wheels I6 and I1. Such disengagement of the teeth is necessitated when it is desired Vto release the tension of compression bands I3- and I4 upon ring compressing strip I0.

5 Modification While in Figs. 1 to 6.a two-piece pawl con- Vstruction is indicated,..Fig. '1 discloses a one-piece pawl construction 43 which Yisalso pre-formed and comprises an attaching area 44 with broadened ends 45 provided with attaching perforations 46, an. intermediate portion 41, inclined in respect to attaching portion 44, a continuing portion 48, inclined in respect to portion 41, and a teeth engaging portion 49. From. portions 44 and 41 is stamped out a lever element V56 which extends from and forms a continuationof portion 48. The latter, as well as lever element 50, is pro-, vided with reinforcements indicated, respectively, at5I and 52, the latter reinforcement being designed to so stiffen the lever element that it is rendered substantially non-resilient.

While only two modied forms of the ratchet tuting a resilient detent having fixed and movable..

ends and being adapted to normally engage said teeth with its movable end and having a depressible lever element superimposed over a portion and forming an integral part of the detent and being adapted for moving the teeth-engaging part of the detent to a teeth-disengaging position when depressed toward said fixed end of the detent.

2. In a ratchet structure as per claim 1, said detent comprising a pre-shaped member, one end of which having means for facilitating its attachment in a xed position so that its other, free end is rendered movable by said superimposed lever element.

3. In a ratchet structure for a rotary, toothed element, a detent adapted to cooperate with the teeth of said element and comprising a. resilient, pre-shaped body, one end of which being movable and normally engaging the teeth of the element and being disengageable from the latter when desired, the other end of the detent having means for xeolly holding it in respect to said element, and an operating lever for the movable end of the detent extending from that end toward and being located substantially above the fixed end of the detent and being adapted, when depressed, to disengage the movable end of the detent from the teeth of the element.

4. In a ratchet structure for a rotary, toothed element, a detent in cooperation with the teeth of the element, said detent comprising an elongated, pre-shaped, resilient member, one end of which being movable relative to the teeth of the element, its other end being fixed, depressible operating means for the movable end and extending fr-cm the latter toward the xed end of the detent, the xed detent end being disposed in one plane, the movable end having three areas, the rst disposed in a plane substantially tangential to the toothed portion of the element, the second, next adjacent area being disposed angularly to both the first area and to said xed end, and the third area connecting the fixed end with the second area and being inclined to. both, said operating means extending from and being disposed in the plane of said second area.

5. In ratchet structure for a rotary, toothed element, a detent cooperating with the teeth of -the element and comprising an elongated, re-

silient member shaped to form end areas and a plurality of intermediate areas disposed at divergent angles, one end area constituting the fixed part of the detent, the other end area forming the teeth-engaging part thereof, and operating means for said other end area extending from one of the intermediate areas toward the fixed end area.

operating means constituting an integral part of said resilient member struck from the material thereof and forming 'an extension of one of the intermediate areas.

9. In a ratchet structure as per claim 5, said operating means constituting an integral part of said resilient member struck from the material thereof and forming an extension of oneof the intermediate areas and reinforcement provided for said operating means and for the area from which it extends.

10. Ina ratchet structure, a ratchet pawl having xed and operative ends for engaging with its operative end a toothed ratchet element and. having a deformable body adapted to normally assume an operative, element-engaging position, and means associated with the pawl and located intermediate between its ends and extending substantially above its fixed end and being depressible for deforming its body, thereby causing the pawl to assume an inoperative, element-disengaging position.

11. In a ratchet structure, the combination with a toothed ratchet element, of a, one-piece. resilient stamping constituting a deformable pawl normally in tensional 4engagement with said element, said pawl having depressible lever-forming portion extending from the body of the stamping between its ends for deforming the latter to an element-disengaging position, said pawl-deforming portion constituting an integral, relatively non-resilient part of said pawl.

LEON B. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th 

